madgirl
So my story is pretty typical. I come from an overweight family and started gaining weight when I was in the 1st grade. When I look back at pictures I wasn't as heavy as perceived myself to be but there it is - self-perception is the real problem. I remember in the 4th grade my teacher had to weigh all of us for some reason, and I overheard her speaking with another teacher. With incredulity in her voice she commented that a couple of her students were much heavier than she was herself. Well that would have been me and the boy who had been held back 2 grades. I was teased of course. I lost some weight in the 7th grade and we moved out of state before I started the 8th grade so I didn't have so many issues with other kids about my weight. In the 9th grade, I became an exercise fiend and lost a lot more weight but still thought I was fat. In college, things were good until the high carb diet caught up with me. Also, I got a car and quit walking everywhere on campus. I've yo-yo'ed my way through my 20s and most of my 30s and here I am. I'm insulin resistant, I have asthma and HBP and various other weight-related issues. All seemed manageable until I had my thyroid removed earlier this year. I'm still working on getting my thyroid levels correct, I have gained an additional 30 pounds and I feel like my body has aged 20 years in the last several months. I have to do something radical to change my life so here I am...
As an aside, when I began my research, I discussed everything with my mom who is also overweight with lots of health issues. She attended an information session with me and actually got herself sleeved before I could get everything together. She's doing great and I can't wait to join her soon!